Adirondack Regional

Chambers of Commerce

The ARCC CommUnity of Commerce begins with U

FREE Business Counseling Services

If you have what you believe is a great idea for a new startup business, the ARCC can help you to better evaluate just how profitable your venture will be. Or if you are already in business and would like a chance to review your future prospects, the ARCC is ready and able to help you out. Best of all, the ARCC's partnerships with the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and the SUNY Albany Small Business Development Center means that you can receive some expert advice and business counseling to evaluate your new business idea or future prospect for FREE!

SCORE: Successful Executives Help Small Businesses Get Started and Grow

SCORE provides free and confidential business mentoring by volunteer executives experienced in a wide range of businesses and functions. This national non-profit with 10,000 volunteer executives is a resource of the Small Business Administration.

In the past 12 months, a team of SCORE counselors has held more than 180 meetings with 49 different businesses at the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce office in Glens Falls.

SCORE counselors use their experience and a wide variety of documents, templates, tools and other resources to assist individuals start a new company or help established businesses overcome problems and take advantage of opportunities.

SCORE helps clients develop and improve their:

Business ideas

Start up planning

Business plans

Marketing efforts and revenue generating sales

Operations

Financing

Financial results as well as any additional issues they present.

SCORE also helps many clients secure financing to start or expand a business. In the past three years, SCORE has assisted clients in Warren, Washington and Northern Saratoga County raise more than $5,000,000 for their businesses.

Recent clients include start-up concepts as well as businesses that have been operating for many years that are looking to improve their business’ results. Clients have received help in many fields, such as:

SUNY Albany Small Business Development Center

The Small Business Development Center, University at Albany has been providing small businesses in the Greater Capital District with no-cost assistance since 1984. The Warren/Washing/Hamilton county outreach center for the Albany SBDC is hosted by the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce where a Business Advisor is available to meet with current and prospective small business owners by appointment.

Since 2011 when Business Advisor, Kate Baker began staffing the outreach center at the ARCC she has met with nearly 200 prospective and existing business owners and assisted them in securing over $7.2 million in capital for their businesses.

Services provided by the Albany SBDC include:

Business Plan Development

Financial Analysis and Projections

Identifying Sources of Capital

General Business Start-Up Information

Buying/Selling Business

Market Research

Marketing Plan Development

Business Growth Strategies

International Trade

Procurement Assistance

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact:
Kate Baker, Business Advisor